Announcing the Nell Talbot Legendre Tuition Endowment

As our students are gearing up for summertime and we celebrate another successful school year, the Catholic Foundation is excited to announce our first endowment for Catholic Elementary School Tuition Assistance, created in remembrance of Mrs. Nell Talbot Legendre.

Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux serve over 5,000 students each year, making it the largest evangelization ministry in our diocese. Each year hundreds of families make a sacrifice in sending their children to one of our twelve Catholic schools to ensure they receive a faith centered education in the classroom. Many times, this sacrifice becomes challenging for parents, and in an effort to provide assistance to families in great need the Legendre Family has established the first ever tuition assistance fund for Catholic elementary schools within the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux, in memory of the late Mrs. Nell Legendre.

Mrs. Nell was a native of Franklin, Louisiana. When she moved to Houma abruptly for her 5th grade year of school due to family health issues, she was in need of school uniforms to begin classes the next day at St. Francis. Since it was a Sunday, most stores were closed. A kindly shopkeeper noticed her outside the locked door of his store and decided to open the store for her, even generously extended a discount to her to help her pay for her full set of uniforms. Mrs. Nell always spoke of this event fondly and reciprocated similar kindness to many through the years.

Whether she was Nell, Mrs. Nell, Aunt Nell or Momma to you, all who knew her felt her love, zest for life and sweet humor. Through her social work, she helped those in need. Through her nursery school Building Blocks, she nurtured hundreds of children who passed through its doors. Through her ministries as sister, wife, mother and grandmother, she inspired strength, caring and creativity in the souls luckily blessed to be born into her care. This endowment will allow her love to continue long after her passing, helping elementary school students in the parish through tuition assistance.

Mrs. Nell was a graduate of St. Francis de Sales Cathedral School and Vandebilt Catholic High School and sent her children to St. Genevieve Catholic Elementary School and E.D. White Catholic High School. The Nell Talbot Legendre Tuition Endowment has been established with the Catholic Foundation to provide our Catholic elementary schools a tuition assistance fund in which they can use for students in need. Starting in the spring of 2020, Catholic elementary school principals can request grant funds from the Nell Talbot Legendre Fund for tuition assistance to student(s) in their schools. As the fund grows, more families will be able to receive tuition assistance funds.

If you are interested in contributing to the elementary school tuition assistance fund, please contact Amy Ponson at 985.850.3116 or aponson@htdiocese.org.